Christine Yahya is an Armenian-Australian graphic designer and illustrator based in NSW. She started illustrating Pink Bits in 2016. Christine is inspired by and celebrates people and bodies in all their glory, illustrating the bits and shapes we’re told to hide, and she has just released Pink Bits in puzzle form for the first time: Pink Bits on Body Inclusivity!
Today, Christine is on the blog to answer a few of our questions about the puzzle, Pink Bits and the illustration world. Read on …
Christine Yahya (Photo by Risako Katsumata).
Please tell us about your puzzle, Pink Bits on Body Inclusivity!
CY: I wanted to create a puzzle that captured the joy and vibrancy of body / fat positive communities. This community changed my life and they’re truly such powerful spaces. Though, they’re often discovered or experienced solely online, or in the confines of our own homes.
This puzzle imagines what these communities might look like in a safe, accessible, outdoor parkland.
What does body inclusivity mean to you and why is it so important?
CY: It is so important, and simply means for all bodies to be treated with acceptance, respect, and equality. This issue must be viewed intersectionally, including but not limited to race, sexuality, gender, class, disability and more.
In our media and beyond, we can see a lack of representation for a vast variety of bodies and bodily experiences, often favouring those who fall within strict beauty standards.
These standards which are shown to us over and over can spark feelings of shame and inadequacy, but also reinforce society’s view of what is an acceptable body and what is not. Thereby inadvertently teaching society to treat others based on their bodies, and teaching who is desirable, who is worthy, who is ok to exist.
Challenging these views and creating a more inclusive and representative world is so important, as our bodies deserve respect and equality, not just those who fall into beauty standards.
Can you tell us a little bit about the actual process of making a puzzle? Where did you get your inspiration from?
CY: My projects always start with a big mind map and a concepting session! In this case I asked myself, ‘What would a body-inclusive space look like in real life?’ And began to dream of a parkland, where movement is free, bodily autonomy is respected, the air is fresh and you can feel the sun on your skin.
From there, I brainstormed all the elements I could dream of, including what I wanted the artwork to feel like for the puzzle-maker. This informed the vibrant yet comforting colour palette – radiating mid pinks, warm mustards and leafy greens.
This also informed elements like:
- accessible signage & classes,
- edible plant life throughout the park,
- access to knowledge & resources,
- access to community produce and supplies,
and much more.
From there it was many rounds of sketching with lead pencil, developing all the elements with markers, pencils and paint, scanning all the artworks, and then building the world digitally by putting all the illustrated parts together!
What are some of your favourite things about the puzzle?
CY: There’s too many small details to choose! But some include:
The Let It Flow Fountain – a radiant foundation in the middle of the park, of a woman holding a period cup on her shoulder, ironically with blue water flowing out.
Mount Everbreast – this double mountain makes up the backdrop of the parkland, in beautiful pinks & yellows for its areolas.
The park rules – upon entry there is a series of 4 rules for the park-goers to respect, written on signposts in text & Braille. Including:
- Rule 1: No body shaming of self or of others
- Rule 2: Wear whatever makes you feel comfortable
- Rule 3: Respect the consent of yourself and of others
- Rule 4: Respect all plant and animal life around you
The People! I love that each person tells a unique story, and is captured in bliss within this embracing and accepting environment.
‘Challenging these views and creating a more inclusive and representative world is so important, as our bodies deserve respect and equality, not just those who fall into beauty standards.’
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey towards becoming an illustrator and starting Pink Bits?
CY: Pink Bits started from a very personal place in late 2016. I was drawing for fun one evening, and have always been drawn to art which explores the human form. That night I was looking for a reference photo which resonated with me, and I couldn’t find anything I saw myself within.
So I whipped out my phone and drew from my own nudes, and felt a sense of representation I hadn’t experienced in art. On a whim, I created a new profile, shared the rough illustrations and found a lot of people resonated with the works in the way I had.
From there I tasked myself with creating art with the intent of representation, and illustrating the bits and shapes we’ve been told or taught to hide.
Who do you most admire in the illustrating world?
CY: Oh gosh, there’s so many illustrators I admire! Some include:
- Ailie Banks
- ggggrimes
- Amber Vittoria
- Coffinbirth
- Frances Canon
- Marisa Mu
- Pri Barbosa
What is the last book you read and loved?
CY: The Marks Left on Her by Di Lebowitz. It was so poignantly raw, yet relatable and deeply intimate. Di presents a collection of experiences, and a build up of violations which really captures the experience of so many women and girls.
I’m currently reading The Success Experiment by Lillian Ahenkan
What do you hope people will discover with your new puzzle?
CY: I hope people will see themselves within this puzzle! I hope people will feel inspired to embrace the warm and body-honouring energy captured within this artwork. I hope people will reclaim their own bodily experience, learn something new and ask themselves questions of unlearning. I hope people will push for body inclusivity and fat positivity in their own worlds.
And finally, what’s up next for you?
CY: I’ll be continuing to disrupt narrow-representation in digital and physical spaces with my artwork. I’ll be continuing to create work which encourages us all to unlearn and embrace. This will take the form of new illustrations, paintings, products, projects and collaborations.
Thanks Christine!
CY: Thank you!
—The Pink Bits on Body Inclusivity Puzzle (Thames & Hudson Australia) is out now.
Pink Bits on Body Inclusivity Puzzle
A 1000-Piece Equality Jigsaw Puzzle
In celebration of every body, Australian artist Christine Yahya invites you to look beyond clothes and embrace a world of stretch marks, scars, stoma bags, body hair, mastectomies, vitiligo and asymmetrical boobs, where people of all abilities and identities can find joy and feel safe...
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